While the debate about the The Avengersusually hinges on how epic and/or fun Joss Whedon’s seminal super hero team-up film was, nobody really argues that it was the best-made film of all time. In fact, a detailed breakdown reveals that Avengers was actually the most error-ridden film of 2012 on the technical front. That is to say that along with the overwhelming sense of fun and adventure it brings to the table, The Avengers: Age of Ultronhas plenty of room to be a cinematically superior film to its predecessor.

Avengers 2 will at least have a different flavor to it, because while Joss Whedon will still be in the director’s seat (as well as handling script duties), the job of actually shooting the film will be changing hands. Meanwhile, Marvel’s big 2014 gamble, Guardians of the Galaxyhas actor Bradley Cooper musing on the kind of voice he will be creating for the gun-toting extraterrestrial oddity that is Rocket Raccoon.

CBMdropped the news about the Avengers 2 director of photography change-up. The new man behind the camera is Ben Davis, who helped create the vivid signature look of his longtime collaborator Matthew Vaughn’s cult-classic films, Layer Cake and Kick-Ass (to name a few). Davis was already snagged by Marvel Studios to work as D.P. on Guardians of the Galaxy; apparently Guardians director James Gunn was singing high praise of Davis, and Joss Whedon (having observed the results) concurred with that praise. (Makes you want to see that Guardians of the Galaxy trailer more than ever, am I right?)

Layer Cake

With Davis locked-in, it’s official that Avengers 1 director of photography Seamus McGarvey will be moving on; he’s got the upcoming Fifty Shades of Greymovie adaptation to do, so that’s something. (We kid, he also has the Godzillareboot under his belt, and that IS something.) Davis seems like a nice trade, as the films he did with Vaughn are noted for their particularly unique, vivid (and quality) visual presentation. If Davis has truly brought a militant raccoon and tree-like alien to life in convincing fashion, a killer James Spader robot in a guranteed box-office smashing sequel should be relatively easier.